Coin Lamp has its heart in the right place, but I’m afraid the inevitable path that each of these concept lamps will take, given enough time, is into a garbage can. In pieces. Because your retirement fund will tank, you’ll get desperate, and you will need the $US2.35 in change this simple little lamp contains something fierce. So, it will be Coin Lamp meet hammer, and then you can afford your small latte at the expense of not being able to see that night. Kudos to designer Jethro Macey for thinking of it, as anything that keeps us mindful of our energy consumption is a welcome step forward. [Jethro Macey via Presurfer]
This gizmo from Handlink is clearly aimed at hotels, coffee shops and other places where you may need net access, and you can’t argue with the thinking in its design. Simply pop in some coins, grab the printout with your time-limited access codes, and then connect up your notebook, or phone to its 802.11b/g service. Kind of the retro-future public payphone of the internet era, it saves time from all that messing about you sometimes have to do in internet cafés. Shame it just takes coins though. No info on price or availability. [RegHardware]
Although not as long or stabby as real screwdrivers, these pocket coin screwdrivers go many places where real ones cannot (when’s the last time you stuck a flat-head into your pants without getting a dirty look from your wife?). However, with these coin screwers, you can both screw in and out on the go with nothing but a pocketful of jingling to make anyone the wiser. A set of twelve can be yours for $8.50, which is the perfect price for stealthily unscrewing the train seat in front of you for subsequent laughs. [Leevalley via Book of Joe via Make]
